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THE  VOODLAWN  SERIES. 


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OB, 


THE  WAY  TO  BE  HAPPY. 

BT 

MRS.   MADELINE    LESLIE. 


BOSTON: 

WOOLWOBTH,  AINSWORTH  A  COMPANY. 

NEW      YORK: 
A.    8.    BARNES    &    COMPANY. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1868,  by 

A.     R.     BAKER, 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  Massachusetts. 


_ 
BERTIE;    OR,    THE    WOODLAWN    SERIES. 

BY   MRS.   MADELINE   LESLIE. 

\6rno.  6  vols.,  Illustrated. 

I.  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

II.  BERTIE  AND  THE  CARPENTERS. 

III.  BERTIE  AND  THE  MASONS. 

IV.  BERTIE  AND  THE  PLUMBERS. 
V.  BERTIE  AND  THE  PAINTERS. 

VI.     BERTIE  AND  THE  GARDENERS. 

I 


10 

HARRY,  NELLIE,  AND  WILLIE  SAMPSON ; 

ALSO, 

To   the    Memory  of  their  Deceased  Brothers  and   Sister, 

BERTIE,  FRANKEY  AND  EMMA, 

THESE     LITTLE     BOOKS     ARE     AFFECTIONATELY 
INSCRIBED. 

If  the   perusal  prompt  them  and  other  readers  to  imitate 

the  virtues  of  our  hero  in  his  efforts  to  be  good,  and 

to   do  good,  the  wishes  of  the  author 

will  be  realized. 


CONTENTS. 

i 

CHAPTER  L 
THE  RIDE, H 

CHAPTER   II. 
THE  PURCHASE, 23 

CHAPTER   III. 

WOODLAWN,        .         .         •         •         *         32 

CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  PLAN, 4* 

(vii) 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   V. 
THE  DONKKY 65 

CHAPTER  VI. 
DRAGGING  STONES,        ....         64 

CHAPTER  VII. 
THE  BOY  TEACHER,      .         .         .        .          77 

CHAPTER   VIII. 
THE  UNDERPINNING,     ....         88 

CHAPTER  IX. 
THE  CELLAR,       .         .         .         .        .         99 

CHAPTER  X. 
BERTIE  AND  WINNIB,          .        .         .         110 


CONTENTS.  IX 

CHAPTER  XI. 
THE  KIND  BOY,  ...  J24 

CHAPTER  XII. 

TH K  CKOSS  WORKMAN,         .        .         .         135 

CHAPTER  X11I. 
THE  NEW  AVEXCE,  143 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE    RIDE. 

HEN  I  was  a  child  I  used  to 
glance  at  the  first  sentence  in 
a  new  book  to  see  whether  it 
looked  interesting.  If  it  be- 
gan, "  There  was  once  a  boy,  who 
lived  in  a  fine  house,"  I  was  encour- 
aged to  go  on. 


12  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

Now  I  wish  to  make  these  little 
books  very  interesting  to  my  young 
readers.  I  want  to  have  the  words 
so  simple  that  they  can  be  read  and 
not  skipped  over,  'and  at  the  same 
time  my  object  is  to  give  you  useful 
information.  As  you  will  learn,  I 
am  to  tell  you  in  these  six  volumes 
many  things  about  building  a  house; 
and  to  explain  the  different  kinds 
of  labor  or  trades  which  are  neces- 
sary for  such  a  purpose  ;  but  first  I 
shall  introduce  you  to  the  family 
of  Mr.  Curtis,  a  gentleman  who 


THE    RIDE.  13 

loves  children  and  whom  I  am  sure 
you  will  love  before  the  book  is 
finished. 

Quite  a  number  of  years  ago,  a 
carriage  drawn  by  two  dapple-gray 
horses  was  passing  slowly  through 
the  main  street  of  a  beautiful  village, 
which  I  shall  call  Oxford. 

There  were  five  persons  in  it.  On 
the  front  seat  was  a  gentleman  whose 
keen,  sparkling  eye  and  laughing 
mouth  always  made  people  wish  to 
learn  more  of  him.  By  his  side  were 
two  children,  Herbert  and  Winifred* 


14  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

or,  as  they  were  usually  called,  Bertie 
and  Winnie. 

The  back  seat  was  occupied  by 
Mrs.  Curtis  and  her  nurse.  The  lady 
was  just  recovering  from  a  long  and 
painful  illness,  and  still  looked  very 
pale.  She  was  supported  by  cushions, 
and  sometimes  as  the  carriage  rolled 
slowly  over  the  smooth  gravelled  road 
she  fell  asleep.  But  now  Mrs.  Curtis 
was  wide  awake,  her  eyes  gazing 
through  the  large  glass  in  the  side  of 
the  carriage  at  the  beautiful  prospect 
before  them. 


THE    RIDE.  15 

"Oh,  look  at  that  lake ! "  she  ex- 
claimed ;  "  isn't  it  lovely  ?  See  the 
wooded  banks,  and  that  pretty  green 
slope,  I've  dreamed  of  a  home  in 
just  such  a  spot." 

Mr.  Curtis  stopped  the  horses, 
and  leaning  from  the  carriage, 
gazed  all  about  him.  It  was  in- 
deed a  lovely  view.  The  village 
of  Oxford  was  situated  in  a  valley 
sheltered  on  three  sides  by  hills ; 
and  here  in  a  little  cleft  beween 
them  a  small  lake  lay  nestled,  al- 
most shut  from  view  by  the  thick 


10  BERTIE  S    HOME. 

trees  which  grew  down  close  to  the 
banks. 

As  the  gentleman  gazed  right  and 
left,  his  eye  at  last  rested  on  a  slight 

T5T 

elevation  where  the  ground  was  more 
open,  and  from  which  it  ran  down 
with  a  gentle  slope  to  the  water.  The 
green  here  and  there  was  dotted  with 
a  fine  spreading  elm,  or  a  huge  oak, 
which  looked  as  if  they  might  have 
weathered  the  storms  of  a  hundred 
years. 

"  What     are     you     stopping     so 
long     for,     papa  ? "     asked     Bertie, 


THE    RIDE.  17 

wondering  at  his  father's  unusual 
silence. 

He  did  not  seem  to  hear  the  ques- 
tion, for  he  presently  turned  to  his 
wife  and  asked,  smiling, — 

"  Would  you  like  a  house  on  that 
hill,  Cecilia  ?  There,  just  beyond  the 
cluster  of  chestnut  trees,  is  the  spot  I 
should  choose." 

"  Oh,  Lawrence  !  everything  seems 
so  quiet  and  peaceful  in  this  neat  vil- 
lage, a  home  there  would  be  almost  a 
paradise." 

After  one  more  glance  at  the  fresh 


18  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

greensward,  where  the  summer  sun 
was  casting  such  pleasant  shadows 
under  the  grand  old  trees,  Mr.  Curtis 
spoke  to  the  horses  to  go  on,  the 
road  winding  round  the  lake  so  that 
except  for  the  trees  they  could  have 
seen  it  for  half  a  mile. 

Presently  he  stopped  a  man  at  the 
side  of  the  road,  and  asked, — 

"  Is  there  a  tavern  in  this  village  ?  " 

"  No,  sir,"  was  the  smiling  reply; 
'*  there's  little  need  of  a  tavern  here, 
so  far  away  from  the  world." 

"  Is  there  any  place  where  I  could 


THE    RIDE.  19 

bait  my  horses  and  get  a  dinner  for 
my  family  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir ;  there's  a  farm-house  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  back,  where  travel- 
lers sometimes  stop.  If  they're  not 
through  dinner,  they'll  give  you  some 
and  welcome." 

"  Oh,  sir,"  said  Mrs.  Curtis,  "  we 
couldn't  think  of  intruding  unless 
they  would  allow  us  to  pay  them." 

The  man  walked  on,  after  describ- 
ing the  house,  laughing  to  himself. 

The  house  stood  on  the  main  street 
leading  to  the  city,  the  villagers  find- 


20  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

ing  ready  access  thereto  by  a  stage- 
coach running  twice  a  day.  Every- 
thing about  the  farm  looked  neat  and 
thriving.  It  was  almost  the  only 
house  in  the  village  which  exhibited 
any  pretensions  to  elegance.  It  had 
a  bow  window  on  the  south  side,  and 
three  Luthern  windows  in  the  roof. 
There  was  a  garden  filled  with  flow- 
ers, and  at  the  side  a  road  or  avenue 
leading  to  the  immense  barns  in  the 
rear 

In  answer  to  Mr.  Curtis'  knock,  a 
young    girl    opened    the    door,    and 


THE    RIDE.  21 

presently  called  her  mother  to  an- 
swer the  question  whether  they  could 
put  up  there  for  an  hour. 

"  Walk  right  in,"  she  answered, 
cordially;  "  dinner  will  be  ready  in  a 
few  minutes.  If  you'll  please,  sir,  to 
drive  the  horses  round  to  the  barn, 
one  of  our  men  will  take  care  of 
them." 

Mrs.  Curtis  was  soon  resting  on  a 
sofa  in  a  cool,  pleasant  parlor,  inhal- 
ing the  fragrance  of  the  June  roses, 
which  came  through  the  open  win- 
dow ;  the  children  were  running  about 


22 


BERTIE  S    HOME. 


the  farm-yard,  almost  wild  with  de- 
light, and  nurse  was  following  them, 
nearly  as  much  pleased  as  they  were. 


CHAPTER  IT. 

THE    PURCHASE. 

|FTER  dinner,  -which  nurse 
brought  from  the  table  on  a 
tray,  Mrs.  Curtis  enjoyed  an 
hour  of  refreshing  sleep. 
When  she  awoke  she  found  the 
blinds  carefully  closed  to  exclude  the 
light;  but  she  could  hear  the  sound 
of  many  voices  outside,  and  at  last  a 

(23) 


24  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

tiny  head,  covered  with  auburn  curls, 
peeped  into  the  room. 

"  Mamma,  see  what  Winnie  dot," 
exclaimed  a  happy  voice  as  she  saw 
mamma  was  awake.  "  See  pooty 
bird ! " 

"  It's  agoslin,"  said  mamma,  taking 
the  little  yellow,  downy  ball  from  her 
daughter's  hand,  "  a  darling  little 
goslin ;  but  it  is  crying  '  peep,  peep,' 
because  it  wants  to  be  back  with 
its  mother.  Where  are  papa  and 
Bertie  I " 

"  Papa  done  off  with  man.     Dere 


THE    PURCHASE.  25 

Bertie,"  as  his  voice  shouted  "  Win- 
nie," at  the  door. 

It  was  almost  four  o'clock  before 
Mr.  Curtis  made  his  appearance,  and 
his  wife,  who  had  been  chatting  with 
Mrs.  Taylor,  the  farmer's  wife,  had 
begun  to  wonder  where  he  could  be. 

"•  You're  nice  and  cool  here,"  he 
said,  laying  his  hat  on  the  table  and 
wiping  the  drops  of  perspiration  from 
his  forehead. 

"  You  look  very  tired,  Lawrence," 
she  said,  anxiously. 

He  only  laughed. 


26  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

"  Isn't  it  time  to  start  ? "  the  lady 
asked. 

"  The  horses  will  be  round  direct- 
ly ;  but,  Cecilia,  I  want  to  ask  you  a 
question.  Were  you  in  earnest  when 
you  said  you  should  like  to  live  here 
in  this  quiet  village  1 " 

She  sighed.  "  Yes,  Lawrence.  I 
really  meant  that  I  should  enjoy  a 
home  away  from  the  bustle  and  con- 
fusion of  a  city  ;  and  that  lovely  lake 
is  exactly  what  I  have  always  connect- 
ed with  my  visions  of  a  country  home. 
But  why  do  you  look  so  eager?" 


THE    PURCHASE.  27 

"  Because,  my  dear,  1  have  ascer- 
tained that  I  can  purchase  that  spot 
on  reasonable  terms.  In  fact,  every- 
thing is  settled  on  condition  that 
when  you  have  taken  a  nearer  view 
you  like  it." 

Mrs.  Curtis  clasped  her  hands  as 
she  exclaimed, — 

"  Oh,  Lawrence  !  what  a  kind  hus- 
band you  are ! " 

"  I  have  ascertained,"  he  went 
on,  smiling,  "that  the  village  is  so 
healthy  no  physician  can  be  sup- 
ported. There  is  one  church  and 


28  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

good  schools  ;  though  there  is  no  ho- 
tel and  not  one  dram-shop.  I  think 
we  shall  like  it;  and  if  you  say  you 
will  try  to  be  contented,  I  shall  con- 
clude the  bargain  at  once  and  turn 
farmer." 

"  Why,  Lawrence,  what  do  you 
know  about  such  business?" 

"  You  forget,  my  dear,  that  I  was 
born  and  brought  up  in  the  country." 

The  next  morning,  when  they  left 
the  farm-house,  Mr.  Curtis  had 
agreed  to  buy  sixty  acres  of  land 
adjoining  the  lake,  with  a  right  to 


THE    PURCHASE.  29 

the  use  of  the  water  for  boating  or 
fishing,  or  whatever  else  he  pleased. 
He  had  also  engaged  board  for  the 
rest  of  the  summer  with  the  farmer's 
family,  and  promised  to  return  in  a 
fortnight.  In  the  meantime,  he  in- 
tended to  look  up  the  titles  to  his 
new  land,  and  if  it  was  all  right,  as 
he  expected,  to  proceed  at  once  to 
build  a  new  house. 

Mr.  Curtis,  ever  since  his  marriage, 
had  done  business  as  a  merchant  in  a 
large  city.  He  owned  ships  which  he 
sent  out  to  foreign  lands,  and  in  this 


30  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

way  he  had  become  very  rich.  After 
his  wife's  sickness,  the  physician  who 
attended  her,  told  him  that  if  she 
could  live  in  some  quiet,  healthy, 
country  village,  her  life  would  prob- 
ably be  lengthened  for  years. 

Mr.  Curtis  loved  his  wife  so  well 
that  he  would  gladly  give  all  his 
ships,  his  money  lying  at  interest  in 
the  banks,  and  his  warehouses  filled 
with  goods,  to  keep  her  well ;  and 
this  was  what  made  him  so  ready  to 
buy  a  place  in  the  country. 

He  was  sure,  too,  that  it  would  be 


THE   PURCHASE,  31 

much  better  for  Bertie  and  Winifred 
to  grow  up  surrounded  by  the  beau- 
ties of  nature ;  and  he  was  also  sure 
that  if  he  and  his  wife  had  hearts  to 
do  good,  they  could  find  abundant 
opportunities  for  it  in  this  beautiful, 
village.  On  every  account,  then,  he 
was  pleased  with  his  purchase,  and 
drove  away  from  Oxford  with  the 
happiest  anticipations  of  a  long  and 
useful  life  passed  within  its  limits. 


CHAPTER  III. 

WOO  DL  AWN. 

FEW  weeks  under  the  care 
of  good  Mrs.  Taylor,  with  Es- 
ther, the  rosy-cheeked  daugh- 
ter, to  lead  Bertie  to  and  from 
the  school  which  she  taught,  did  a 
great  deal  toward  restoring  vigor  to 
the  invalid.  Every  morning  she  rode 
with  her  husband  around  the  road 
by  the  lake,  and  from  thence  through 

(32) 


WOODLAWN.  33 

the  bars  Across  the  fields  to  the  site 
of  their  new  house. 

They  had  named  their  place  WOOD- 
LAWN,  on  account  of  the  beautiful 
old  trees  standing  here  and  there  on 
the  greensward ;  and  Mr.  Curtis  al- 
ready had  men  at  work  making  a 
solid  road  over  which  they  could 
haul  the  lumber  with  their  strong  ox 
teams. 

After  they  had  decided  where  the 
house  should  stand,  the  first  thing  to 
be  done  was  to  make  a  plan  of  the 
building.  Mr.  Curtis  sent  to  the  city 


34  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

for  an  architect  to  come  to  Oxford 
and  bring  his.  book  of  plans  with 
him. 

Perhaps  you  don't  know  what  an 
architect  is,  and  I  will  explain  the 
work  that  he  does.  He  is  a  man  who 
draws  upon  paper  a  sketch  of  a  house, 
or  cottage,  or  church,  or  any  kind  of 
building. 

First,  he  shows  how  the  outside 
will  look,  and  where  the  windows 
and  doors  will  be  placed.  If  there  is 
to  be  a  portico,  or  a  wing,  or  a  bay- 
window,  the  picture  shows  you  just 


WOODLAWN.  35 

how  it  will  look  and  what  the  pro- 
portions will  be. 

Then  the  architect  draws  a  picture 
or  plan  of  the  first,  second,  and  third 
floors,  if  there  are  so  many.  He  puts 
down  the  size  of  the  parlors,  and  the 
halls,  and  the  dining-room,  and  the 
kitchen.  He  places  closets  wherever 
he  can  find  room  for  them,  and  plans 
for  all  the  conveniences  that  you  wish. 

Then  he  goes  to  the  chambers,  and 
arranges  for  the  bath-room,  and  the 
dressing-rooms ;  or,  if  it  is  to  be  a 
plain,  cheap  house,  he  plans  every 


£6  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

inch  of  room  to  the  very  best  advan- 
tage. 

When  all  this  is  done,  the  architect 
begins  to  draw  what  is  called  a  fram- 
ing plan  ;  that  is,  a  plan  for  the  car- 
penters to  work  from.  This  has  a 
picture  of  every  stick  of  timber  in  the 
building ;'  so  that  a  good  builder  can 
tell  beforehand  just  how  much  the 
lumber  will  cost. 

But  this  is  not  all  the  architect  has 
to  do.  It  is  his  business  to  write 
down  what  are  called  specifications. 

As  this  is  a  long  word,  I  don't  sup- 


WOODLAWN.  37 

pose  Jamie,  nor  Josie,  nor  Catherine 
can  understand  it  any  better  than 
Herbert  and  Winnie  did.  If  you  were 
going  to  have  a  doll-house,  and  your 
papa  should  allow  you  to  tell  the  car- 
penter just  how  you  would  like  it 
made,  I  suppose  you  would  say : — 

"  I  want  a  window  here  and  a  door 
there  ;  and  I  want  a  little  mite  of  a 
bell  that  the  dollies  who  come  to  the 
front  door  can  ring.  And,  oh,  I 
must  have  a  little  sink  for  my  doll  to 
wash  her  dishes  !  and  of  course  there 
must  be  a  pump  to  bring  water  with." 


88  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

While  you  were  talking,  the 
carpenter  would  take  his  pencil 
and  write  this  all  down,  and  de- 
scribe the  materials  to  be  used 
hi  the  work,  for  fear  he  would  for- 
get some  of  the  directions  ;  and 
these  would  be  specifications,  or 
the "  basis  of  your  bargain  with 

fcim. 

The  architect  for  whom  Mr.  Curtis 
sent  was  Mr.  Rand.  He  reached  the 
farm-house  the  second  day  after  the 
letter  was  sent.  When  he  came  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Curtis  were  ready  at  the 


WOODLAWN.  39 

depot  with  the  carriage  to  take  him 
to  Woodlawn. 

"  I  am  going  to  build  a  little  nest 
for  my  birds,"  Mr.  Curtis  said,  laugh- 
ing, "  arid  can't  quite  decide  what 
shape  will  be  best  on  this  land.  I 
want  the  house  to  look  pretty  from 
the  village,  for  I  intend  to  have  it  set 
high  where  it  can  be  seen  through 
the  trees.  But  the  back  part  must 
be  pretty,  too,  for  I  shall  have  it 
look  out  upon  a  nice  little  grassy  hill, 
with  plants  and  shrubs  in  variety 
growing  over  it." 


40  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

"  We  shall  see,"  answered  the 
architect. 

Just  as  he  spoke  there  was  a  turn 
in  the  road,  and  then  they  came  in 
sight  of  the  beautiful  lake. 

"  Oh,  how  delightful !  "  the  stran- 
ger exclaimed,  "  what  an  enchanting 
view.  It  reminds  me  of  a  picture 
I've  seen  somewhere  of  an  English 
landscape." 

"  That's  what  my  wife  says,"  an- 
swered Mr.  Curtis,  glancing  in  her 
face  with  a  smile. 

The  architect  said  no  more ;  but  his 


WOODLAWN.  41 

companions  saw  that  his  keen  eye 
noticed  everything. 

Presently  they  alighted  from  the 
carriage,  and  Mr.  Curtis,  giving  his 
wife  his  arm,  began  to  explain  where 
he  intended  his  house  to  stand. 

"  I  settled  upon  another  place  at 
first,"  he  said.  "  There  you  will  see 
the  little  stakes  I  drove  into  th« 
ground,  but  my  wife  thought  this  befi- 
ter  ;  and  as  1  yield  to  her  in  matters 
of  taste  I  changed  to  this  spot." 

"  This  gives  you  a  much  better 
view,"  the  architect  remarked  quietly. 


42  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

They  walked  here  and  there,  two 
or  three  times.  Mr.  Rand  took  a  rule 
from  his  pocket  and  measured  the 
ground.  Then  he  ran  off  by  himself 
to  the  top  of  the  little  hill,  and  stood 
looking  over  the  lake.  All  this  time 
he  had  scarcely  answered  Mr.  Curtis' 
questions.  He  was  thinking.  At 
last  his  face  lighted  up  with  a  smile, 
and  he  exclaimed,  — 

"  I  have  it ;  just  the  thing.  How 
would  you  like  a  stone  house  ?  You 
have  plenty  of  material  on  your  land." 

"  A  stone  house  is  too  damp,"  an- 


WOODLAWN.  43 

swered  Mr.  Curtis,  shaking  his  head. 

* 
"  No,  I  prefer  a  well-made  wooden 

house  witH  back  plaster  and  tarred 
paper  to  keep  out  the  wind.  I  can 
use  all  my  stone  in  building  ^alls 
around  my  farm." 

"•  How  much  land  is  there  1 " 
"  Sixty  acres  in  this  piece  ;  and  I 
have  just  purchased  twenty  more  of 
wood  ;  for  I  mean  to  keep  warm." 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THE    PLAN. 

]T  was  now  nearly  time  for  din- 
ner ;  and  Mr.  Curtis  helped  his 

X 

wife  into  the  carriage  ;  and 
they  all  rode  away  to  Mr.  Tay- 
lor's farm,  where  they  found  a  nice 
dinner  of  roast  lamb  and  fresh  vege- 
tables awaiting  them.  For  dessert 
there  was  plenty  of  strawberries  and 

(44) 


THE   PLAN.  45 

sweet,  thick  cream,  which  the  grown 
people  as  well  as  the  children  en- 
joyed very  much. 

After  dinner  Mr.  Rand  opened  a 
large  book  which  Bertie  thought 
looked  like  a  big  atlas;  and  then  the 
stranger  and  papa  and  mamma  gath- 
ered around  the  table  to  look  at  the 
plans  of  houses  Mr.  Rand  had  brought 
with  him. 

First,  there  was  a  picture  of  a  pretty 
cottage  with  a  verandah  running 
around  it.  Then  came  the  plan  of  a 
barn,  very  pretty  and  picturesque;  but 


46  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

Mr.  Hand  tumbled  these  over  without 
any  ceremony,  saying,  — 

"  You  must  have  something  better 
than  that ;  "  and  presently  he  came 
to  the  picture  of  a  large  house  with 
turrets  and  towers,  which  looked  very 
imposing. 

"  There  it  is.  That's  the  plan  for 
you,"  the  gentleman  exclaimed,  in  an 
exultant  tone. 

"  "What's  the  cost  of  that  ?  "  asked 
Mr.  Curtis. 

"  Pshaw  !  the  cost  of  a  building  is 
nothing  to  you,"  Mr.  Rand  answered, 


THE    PLAN.  47 

laughing.     "  The  thing  to  be  consid- 
ered is  whether  you  like  it." 
"  What  do  you  say,  Cecilia  ? " 
"  It  does  not  look  home-like.     The 
ground  is  high  enough  without  mount- 
ing to  the  towers  to  see  the  prospect. 
I  have  an  idea  in  my  own  mind  if  I 
could  explain  it  to  you." 

"  Try,  if  you  please,  Mrs.  Curtis." 
"  I  want,  first  of  all,"  the  lady  be- 
gan, "  to  have  the  room  in  which  we 
shall  live,  in  the  most  pleasant  part 
of  the  house.  It  ought  to  be  eighteen 
feet  by  twenty-five,  the  front  finished 


48  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

with  a  large  bay-window,  and  also  a 
window  on  each  side  looking  out  on  a 
piazza.  This  room  should  project 
from  the  main  house  about  twelve 
feet,  the  space  on  each  side  filled  with 
a  piazza.  On  one  side  of  the  main 
building  I  would  have  a  large  parlor 
for  state  occasions  ;  on  the  other,  the 
dining-room  and  library,  and  back  of 
the  large  sitting-room  on  the  other 
side  of  the  spacious  hall,  which  occu- 
pies the  middle  of  the  house,  and  well 
lighted  from  above,  will  be  the 
kitchen.  Below,  in  a  basement,  I 


THE    PLAN.  49 

would  have  a  room  fitted  with  tubs, 
boilers,  etc.,  for  a  wash-room,  and  out 
of  it  the  laundry.  The  chambers, 
well  provided  with  closets,  must  be 
for  after  consideration." 

"  A  capital  plan  !  "  exclaimed  the 
architect.  "  You  have  given  me  a 
very  good  general  idea  ;  now  if  you 
will  particularize  or  express  in  detail 
what  kind  of  finish  suits  your  taste,  I 
will  draw  you  a  plan  that  I  think  you 
will  accept ;  but  wouldn't  it  be  an 
addition  to  run  up  a  tower  atone  cor- 
ner ?  It  would  be  very  imposing." 


50  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

"  That  is  ray  principal  objection. 
We  are  intending  to  settle  in  this 
qniet  village.  We  hope  to  pass  the 
rest  of  our  lives  here.  We  mean  to 
be  one  of  the  people.  If  our  house 
is  too  grand  it  may  not  be  so  easy 
for  our  neighbors  to  approach  us,  or 
for  us  to  gain  access  to  their  humble 
cottages.  Besides,  if  we  are  not  ex- 
travagant, and  too  far  above  them, 
they  will  try  to  imitate  us.  Instead 
of  the  square,  upright,  though  neat 
houses  they  have  now,  they  will  see 
how  much  expression  a  little  porch 


THE    PLAN.  51 

or  portico  will  give  to  their  dwel- 
lings." 

Mr.  Hand  folded  his  portfolio  to- 
gether without  another  word,  while 

Mr.  Curtis  laughingly  refcarked,  — 

• 
';  You  see,  my   wife   has   set   her 

heart  on  doing  good  here.  She  al- 
ready has  made  friends  with  all  the 
workmen  at  Woodlawn,  and  acts  in 
the  capacity  of  Doctress  to  their  fam- 
ilies." 

This  was  Wednesday  ;  and  Satur- 
day Mr.  Rand  came  again,  gayly  an- 
nounced by  Bertie,  who  cried  out,  — 


52  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

*'  Mamma,  here's  the  architect." 
The  plan  was  examined  and  highly- 
approved.  -  The  whole  party  rode  to 
the  lake,  where  Mr.  Rand  helped  Mr. 
Curtis  measure  off  the  land  ready  for 
the  cellar,  the  architect  having  agreed 
to  erect  the  whole  building,  hire  ma- 
sons, and  carpenters,  and  painters  and 
plumbers,  and  whoever  else  was  nec- 
essary, as  soon  as  the  underpinning 
was  ready  to  set  the  house  upon. 

When  Mr.  Cur; is  went  away  he  left 
the  large  portfolio,  which  mamma  told 
Bertie,  contained  not  only  the  picture 


THE   PLAN.  53 

of  the  house  which  he  admired  so 
much,  but  a  written  account  of  every 
room,  closet,  hall,  window  and  door  to 
be  put  in  it.  "  These,"  she  said,  "  are 
Mr.  Rand's  specifications  ;  that  is,  he 
specifies  exactly  what  kind  of  door- 
knobs we  shall  have,  or  the  cost  and 
finish  of  the  silver  faucets  connected 
with  the  bowls  in  the  chambers." 

Bertie  elapped  his  hands,  dancing 
up  and  down.  "  I  know,  mamma," 
he  exclaimed,  "  I  do  know,  and  when 
I'm  a  man  I  shall  ask  Mr.  Rand  to 
write  specifications  for  jne." 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  DONKEY. 

IFORE  Mr.  Curtis  had  engaged 
men  to  dig  his  cellar,  Miss  Su- 
san Taylor    closed   her   school 
for  the  season. 
"  I'm    afraid    Bertie  will    be    wild 
with    excitement,"  mamma  said  one 
day  to  her  husband,  "  I  wish  he  had 
some  regular  employment." 

(54) 


THE    DONKEY.  55 

"  I've  been  thinking  of  that,  my 
dear,"  he  answered. 

"  There  is  a  great  deal  of  knowl- 
edge to  be  gained  beside  that  in 
books.  Our  son  is  inquisitive  and 
eager,  and  will  learn  a  great  deal  by 
being  allowed  to  watch  the  opera- 
tions as  they  proceed.  When  he 
sees  the  work  of  the  different  trades, 
and  what  belongs  to  a  mason,  or 
carpenter,  he  will  remember  it  much 
better  than  if  he  read  it  in  his 
book." 

"  But,  Lawrence,  I'm  afraid  he  will 


56  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

learn  bad  words  from  some  men  you 
will  employ ;  or  if  not,  he  may  be  in 
their  way." 

Mr.  Curtis  smiled.  "As  to  the 
first,"  he  said,  "  we  must  train  our 
children  so  well  at  home  that  they 
will  know  better  than  to  imitate  rude 
manners  or  rough  expressions.  So 
far,  I  am  happy  to  say  that  I  have 
never  seen  men  more  free  from  pro- 
fanity than  those  I  have  met  in  this 
quiet  village. 

"  As  to  your  second  objection,  an 
occasional  caution  will  be  all  that  is 


THE    DONKEY.  5T 

necessary  for  Herbert.  And  if  he 
should  cause  a  little  delay  by  his 
questions,  I  will  see  that  the  men  are 
no  losers." 

44  But  how  will  he  get  back  and 
forth  so  many  times  in  a  day  ] " 

"  That  question  will  be  solved  to- 
morrow, Cecilia  ;  next  to  the  hope  of 
benefiting  your  health,  my  object  in 
removing  to  this  place  is  to  educate 
our  children  for  usefulness.  A  few 
dollars  more  or  less,  to  accomplish 
that  end,  will  never  be  regretted  by 
either  of  us." 


58  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

"  If  Bertie  ever  makes  as  good  a 
man  as  his  father,  I  shall  be  content," 
remarked  the  lady,  smiling. 

"  And  if  Winnie  learns  to  imitate 
one  half  her  mother's  virtues,  I  shall 
be  a  happy  father,"  he  returned,  bow- 
ing with  an  arch  glance  in  her  face. 

After  dinner  the  next  day,  Nancy, 
the  nurse,  was  giving  the  children  a 
bath,  preparatory  to  a  walk  around 
the  farm,  when  a  man  drove  into  the 
yard  with  the  queerest  little  carriage 
you  ever  saw.  The  carriage  was 
drawn  by  a  funny-looking  animal, 


THE    DONKEY.  59 

with  long  ears  and  awkward-shaped 
legs. 

"  Papa,  mamma  !  "  shouted  Bertie, 
"  look,  see  what  has  come ;  see  what 
a  queer  horse." 

Mr.  Curtis  went  to  the  door  and 
his  wife  followed  him. 

"  I've  brought  you  a  donkey  at 
last,"  said  the  man,  jumping  briskly 
from  the  carriage. 

"  Is  he  docile  I  "  asked  papa. 

"  He's  as  tame  as  an  old  sheep. 
He's  five  years  old.  A  gentleman 
bought  him  for  his  children;  and 


60  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

they've  made  a  plaything  of  him. 
The  little  girl  cried  when  I  drove 
him  away.  I  couldn't* have  bought 
him  at  any  price  until  I  gave  my 
word  he  should  have  the  best  of 
care.  The  young  gentleman  himself 
can  harness  and  unharness  him,  and 
for  the  matter  of  that  he  can  drive  all 
over  the  country  with  him." 

All  this  while  Bertie  had  been 
pulling  grass  and  feeding  the  patient 
creature ;  but  now  he  sprang  a  foot 
from  the  ground,  exclaiming,  with  a 
flush  of  joy, — 


THE    DONKEY.  61 

"  Papa,  papa,  did  you  buy  the  don- 
key for  me  1  is  it  mine  ?  my  own  ?  " 

t;  Yes,"  answered  papa.  "  It  is 
your's  ;  and  I  shall  ask  Mr.  Taylor  to 
give  you  a  stall  in  the  barn,  where 
you  can  feed  it  and  groom  it  your- 
self." 

"  Oh,  papa !  I'm  going  to  be  a  real 
good  boy,  I'm  so  very  much  obliged 
to  you ;  may  I  ride  a  little  now  ? 

"  He  ought  to  have  some  oats  be- 
fore he's  used  much,"  said  the  man 
who  brought  him.  "  He's  travelled 
twenty-five  miles  this  morning." 


62  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

"  I'll  give  him  some,  right  away." 

"  Jump  in  then,  and  drive  him  to 
the  barn,"  said  papa.  ';  I  see  Mr. 
Taylor,  and  I'll  talk  with  him  about 
entertaining  your  donkey.  That  was 
one  more  than  he  agreed  to  board." 

Bertie  knew  by  his  papa's  mouth 
that  he  was  joking,  and,  more  happy 
than  I  can  tell  you,  he  jumped  into 
the  funny  carriage  and  began  to  pull 
at  the  reins.  But  the  donkey  had 
begun  to  nibble  the  sweet,  fresh  grass 
and  did  not  like  to  move. 

"  Go  along,"  shouted  the  boy,  "  go 


THE    DONKEY.  63 

along,"  and  then  the  animal  pricked 
up  his  ears,  and  trotted  off  to  his  new 
home  in  Mr.  Taylor's  great  barn. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

DRAGGING  STONES. 
I 

'HE  next  morning  the  donkey 
was  as  good  as  new,  farmer 
Taylor  said,  as  he  taught  Her- 
bert how  to  harness  him  into  his 
wagon.  "  Hold  your  reins  up  taut, 
like  this,  my  boy.  Hurrah  !  I  never 
did  see  a  sight  like  that  before.  Such 
a  turn-out  will  astonish  the  natives." 

(64) 


DRAGGING     STONES.  65 

Bertie  drove  up  to  the  door  and 
then  called  out,  — 

"  Mamma,  mamma,  can't  Winnie 
go  too.  I'll  bring  her  home  safe  in 
time  for  her  nap." 

"  Not  to-day,  dear.  Wait  till  you 
have  learned  a  little  how  to  manage." 

When  Bertie  turned  into  the  field, 
he  saw  that  business  had  commenced 
in  earnest.  There  were  two  men, 
each  with  a  pair  of  oxen  and  a  flat 
piece  of  wood  attached  to  them  by  a 
heavy  iron  chain.  The  men  were 
hawing  and  geeing  when  he  drove 


66  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

near ;  but  they  stopped  short  and 
stared  when  they  saw  him. 

"  What  kind  of  a  critter  do  you 
call  that  now  ? "  one  man  asked, 
after  squirting  a  whole  mouthful  of 
tobacco-juice  from  his  mouth. 

"  It's  a  donkey,  sir." 

Bertie's  mamma  had  taught  him  to 
be  polite  to  every  one. 

Both  the  men  came  up  to  the  creat- 
ure, patted  him,  felt  of  his  ears,  and 
one  began  to  pull  his  mouth  open. 

"  Please,  sir,  don't  hurt  him,"  urged 
Bertie,  twitching  the  reins.  But,  then, 


DRAGGING    STONES.  6 

looking  at  the  patient  oxen,  he  said, — 
"  Will  you  please  tell  me  why  you 
don't  have  a  cart  instead  of  that  flat 
board  ? " 

"  Tisn'ta  board  ;  it's  a  heavy  piece 
of  plank ;  and  it's  called  a  drag.  If 
you're  over  at  the  place  presently, 
you'll  see  what  it's  for.  Come, 
Bright,"  he  shouted,  touching  the 
ox  nearest  him.  "  Gee  up." 

The  other  man  followed,  though  he 
often  looked  back,  laughing  to  see  the 
donkey  carriage  and  the  little  boy 
driver. 


b»  BERTIE  S    HOME. 

"  There's  a  good  bit  of  things 
in  the  world  that  we  never  see," 
he  said  to  his  companion.  "  The 
Squire's  son  is  a  pert  little  chap, 
isn't  he  now?'' 

"  He's  the  politest  young  un  I 
ever  see,"  was  Tom's  answer. 

Bertie,  meanwhile,  drove  through 
the  field, — there  was  quite  a  good 
road  now, — and  on  by  the  lake  to 
Woodlawn.  His  father  was  standing 
near  a  company  of  men  who  were 
digging  with  spades,  throwing  the 
dirt  out  behind  them. 


DRAGGING    STONES.  60 

Bertie  jumped  from  his  wagon  and' 
threw  the  reins  upon  Whitefoot's 
back,  and  instantly  the  tame  creature 
began  to  taste  the  grass. 

"  I'm  going  to  stay  here  till  din- 
ner, papa ;  what  shall  I  do  with  my 
donkey  ? " 

"  Take  off  his  harness,  and  let  him 
feed.  I  don't  think  he'll  stray  away. 
At  any  rate  you  can  try  him.  You 
must  begin  to  teach  him  to  come  to 
you  when  you  call." 

The  little  fellow  drove  the  wagon- 
under  the  shade  of  a  tree ;  and-  very- 


70  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

soon  Whitefoot,  finding  himself  at 
liberty,  walked  slowly  off  toward  the 
lake,  nibbling  grass  as  he  went. 

"  Now,"  said  papa, "  you  may  walk 
about  wherever  you  please.  You  are 
old  enough  to  keep  out  of  danger. 
When  the  men  come  with  the  oxen 
you  will  see  them  unload." 

"What  are  all  those  men  doing, 
papa  1 " 

"  They  are  Irishmen  whom  I  hire 
by  the  day  to  dig  the  cellar  to  our  new 
house.  Do  you  see  these  sticks 
driven  into  the  ground  ?  " 


DRAGGING    STONES.  71 

"•  Yes,  papa,  and  the  string  tied  to 
them.  What  is  it  for  ?  " 

"  It  is  to  mark  out  exactly  the  line 
where  the  cellar  is  to  be.  See,  this  is 
the  front  of  the  house ;  and  I  have 
measured  twenty  feet.  Your  mother 
wishes  the  room  to  be  eighteen  feet 
wide  ;  and  it  is  necessary  to  allow  one 
foot  each  side  for  the  thickness  of  the 
walls,  the  plastering,  etc." 

"  But,  papa,  here  is  another  stick 
only  a  little  way  off.  Wont  mamma's 
room  be  larger  than  this  I " 

"  Yes,  it  extends  back  into  what  is 


72  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

called  the  main  building.  Don't  you 
remember  in  Mr.  Rand's  plan  how 
this  room  projects,  or  comes  out,  be- 
yond the  rest  ? " 

"  Oh,  yes,  papa ;  I  understand  now, 
and  right  here  where  I  stand,  the 
piazza  will  be.  Wont  it  be  very 
pretty]" 

"  I  think  so ;  but  we  must  thank 
mamma  for  the  plan.  It  was  her  taste 
suggested  it  to  the  architect." 

"  Mr.  Taylor  says  mamma  is  the 
most  wonderful  woman  he  ever  saw," 
replied  the  boy  earnestly. 


DRAGGING   STONES.  73 

"  Mr.  Taylor  is  a  wise  man,"  said 
papa.  "  I  entirely  agree  with  him." 

"  Oh,  see  how  hard  the  oxen  are 
pull  ing !  Wont  that  wood  break  their 
necks  ? " 

"  That  is  a  yoke,  and  they  are  used 
to  it.  They  are  dragging  stones  for 
the  cellar." 

;-  Why  don't  they  put  the  stones  in 
a  cart,  papa  ?  " 

"  Because,  though  it  would  be 
rather  easier  for  the  oxen  to  draw 
them,  it  would  be  harder  for  the  men 
to  load  and  unload." 


74  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

"  Are  stones  very  heavy  indeed  ?  " 

"  You  can  try  to  lift  one." 

"  I  can't  move  it  one  mite,  papa. 
I  don't  see  what  good  they  will  do  in 
the  cellar." 

"  No,  I  suppose  not ;  but  you  will 
learn." 

:t  Haw,  Bright !  Come  up,  Buck  !  " 
shouted  Tom. 

Both  the  oxen  pulled  with  all  their 
strength  ;  but  the  ground  was  soft  and 
rising.  Bertie  could  not  see  that  the 
drag  moved  an  inch. 

Tom  lashed  and  lashed  the  patient 


DRAGGING    STONES.  75 

creatures,  shouting  with  all  his  might. 
When  he  found  this  did  no  good  he 
began  to  swear. 

41  Oh,  dear !  "  exclaimed  Bertie, 
shrinking  behind  his  father. 

"  Stop  !  "  said  Mr.  Curtis,  in  a  firm, 
clear  voice.  "  You  must  throw  off 
part  of  your  load  ;  and  I  want  to  say 
one  thing  now.  I'll  do  all  the  swear- 
ing  that's  done  on  the  place." 

Tom's  face  grew  very  red ;  but  he 
did  not  speak.  For  one  instant  he 
stood,  and  looked  into  his  master's 
eye.  He  knew  then,  as  well  as  he 


76  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

did  a  year  afterward,  that  the  Squire 
meant  exactly  what  he  said. 

Two  large  stones  were  thrown  off; 
Buck  and  Bright  pulled  again,  and 
soon  the  heap  on  the  drag  was  lying 
by  the  side  of  the  other  stones. 

Before  the  oxen  went  away  for 
another  load,  Bertie  had  found  out 
that  the  names  of  the  other  pair  were 
Star  and  Spot,  from  some  white  marks 
on  their  forehead.  He  had  learned, 
too,  why  drags  were  better  than  carts 
to  draw  large  stones  with. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE    BOY   TEACHER. 

]HILE   he   was   following   his 
father  about,  Bertie  forgot  to 
watch  his  donkey.     When  it 
was    near   dinner   time,   Mr. 
Curtis  said, — 

"  Don't  go  off  till  I  see  you,  Her- 
hert,  I  want  to  ride  to  the  black- 
smith's; and  you  may  drive  me 
there." 

(77) 


78  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

The  boy  started  and  began  to  look 
in  every  direction,  hoping  to  see 
Whitefoot  quietly  feeding  on  the 
lawn. 

But  neither  on  the  hill,  nor  behind 
the  chestnut  grove  could  he  be  seen. 
Bertie's  lip  quivered,  and  then  the 
tears  filled  his  eyes. 

"  He's  gone,  papa ;  my  pretty  don- 
key is  lost." 

"  Don't  cry,  my  son,"  said  Mr.  Cur- 
tis, in  a  cheerful  tone.  "  Crying  for 
a  donkey  never  brought  one  back, 
that  I  ever  heard  of.  Take  a  handful 


THE    BOY    TEACHER.  79 

of  corn  from  Tom's  pail,  and  run  to- 
ward the  lake.  Call  him  by  name 
and  perhaps  he  will  come." 

if 

Bertie  hesitated,  his  cheeks  grow- 
ing very  red.  At  last,  when  papa 
wondered  what  made  him  delay,  the 
little  fellow  asked,  — 

"  Can't  I  wait  till  Tom  comes 
back  ?  I'm  almost  sure  he'll  give  me 
some  of  his  corn ;  but  mamma  told 
me  never  to  touch  anything  that  be- 
longs to  the  men,  without  asking 
their  leave." 

"  Mamma  was   right,  my  son,  as 


80  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

she  always  is ;  and  I'm  greatly 
pleased  that  you  remember  her  in- 
structions. There  is  Join  coming 
with  a  load,  now,  you  may  run  and 
ask  him  to  give  you  a  handful  of  corn 
to  call  your  donkey  with.  Perhaps 
he  has  seen  the  creature  some- 
where." 

Bertie  was  off  like  a  dart  that  has 
been  shot  from  a  bow  ;  and  his  father 
could  see  him  gesturing  away  as  he 
walked  back  at  Tom's  side. 

"  Did  you  come  all  this  way  to  ask 
for  a  few  kernels  of  corn  ? "  asked 


THE    BOY   TEACHER.  81 

the  man,  staring  at  the  child  in  won- 
der. "  Why,  ypu  might  have  taken  a 
pint,  and  neither  I  nor  the  oxen 
would  ever  have  known  it." 

"  But  God  sees  everything  we  do," 
said  the  boy.  "  T  knew  'twas  yours, 
'cause  I  saw  you  turn  it  out  of  a  bag  ; 
and  I  couldn't  touch  it  without  your 
leave,  you  know." 

"  Well,  now,  I  must  say  you're 
the  honestest  little  shaver  I  ever  did 
see,"  answered  Tom,  regarding  the 
child  almost  with  awe.  "  If  it  had 
been  my  boy,  he'd  snatched  up  the 


82  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

corn  and  rim  off  with  it,  and  never 
have  thought  another  breath  about 
it." 

"  Mamma  teaches  me  how  wicked 
it  is  to  steal,"  Bertie  went  on.  "  Per- 
haps your  boy,"  gazing  anxiously  in 
the  man's  face,  "  hasn't  any  mother 
to  teach  him." 

Tom's  mouth  worked  convulsively  ; 
and  presently  he  wiped  his  eyes  with 
his  dirty  shirt  sleeve. 

"  No,  he  hasn't,"  he  answered. 
"  She's  dead  this  six  months." 

They   were   now   almost   back    to 


THE   BOY   TEACHER.  83 

the  cellar,  and  after  a  moment's  si- 
lence, Tom  added, — 

"  If  the  corn  was  mine,  you'd  be 
welcome  to  as  much  as  you  want  of 
it ;  but  it's  in  the  agreement  that  the 
Squire  shall  give  the  oxen  their  feed 
at  noon.  So  I  bring  along  the  corn 
from  the  store ;  and  he  pays  the 
bill." 

"Oh,  I'm  glad,  I'm  real  glad," 
shouted  Bertie,  bounding  away. 

"  Whitefoot,  Whitefoot ! "  he  called, 
at  the  top  of  his  voice  ;  "  Whitefoot ! 
come." 


84  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

i 

"  There's  your  donkey,"  shouted 
Jim,  4i  coming  up  the  hill  with  Star 
and  Spot.  There,  just  behind  that 
big  oak  by  the  lake." 

So  Bertie  called  again,  "  White- 
foot  —  Whitefoot !  "  and  presently 
the  donkey  gave  a  little  neigh  in  re- 
ply. I  suppose  he  wanted  to  say,  "  I 
hear  you,  my  young  master,  and  I'll  go 
as  quick  as  I  can  ;  "  for  he  started  off 
at  once  into  a  brisk  trot.  Very  soon, 
to  Bertie's  great  delight,  the  lost  don- 
key was  eating  the  corn  out  of  his 
hand. 


THE    BOY    TEACHER.  85 

•*t 

When  the  men  walked  side  by  side 
on  their  way  to  the  old  wall  which 
they  were  pulling  down  for  stone, 
Tom  repeated  to  his  companion  what 
had  passed  between  him  and  Bertie. 

"  That's  the  kind  o'  religion  I  be- 
lieve in,"  he  exclaimed,  making  a 
furious  gesture  with  his  brawny  arm. 
"  Tfie  Squire  isn't  one  of  your  sot-up 
men  who  thinks  working-folks  are 
made  of  different  stuff,  and  haven't 
any  more  souls  than  a  beast.  He 
lives  his  religion  right  straight 
through  the  week  instead  o'  keeping 


86  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

it  bottled  up  for  Sunday  use,  like 
some  long-faced  men  I  could  name." 

"  Jes  so,"  answered  Jim,  with  an 
approving  nod. 

"  Do  you  suppose  I'd  ever  cheat 
him  out  of  the  valley  of  a  cent  arter 
such  a  lesson  as  that  boy  give  me? 
No,  not  for  my  right  arm.  I  know 
when  I'm  treated  like  a  man."  * 

"  You  got  a  pretty  hard  hit  this 
morning,  then,"  muttered  Jim,  glan- 
cing sideways  in  his  companion's 
face. 

"  Wall,  I  deserved  it,  I'll  own  up 


THE    BOY    TEACHER. 


87 


to  that.  I'd  no  business  to  talk  such 
stuff  before  the  Squire,  letting  alone 
the  boy.  I'll  let  him  do  the  swearing 
in  futer,  as  he's  agreed  to." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE    UNDERPINNING. 

JHAT   are    you   going   to    the 
blacksmith's   for  ?  "   inquired 
Bertie,  as  he  took  the  reins, 
proud  to  show  his  father  how 
well  he  could  drive. 

"  I'm  going  to  engage  him  to  mend 
the  tools  that  the  men  break.  It's 
very  convenient  to  have  a  blacksmith 
so  near.  In  the  town  where  my 


THE    UNDERPINNING.  89 

pareiits    lived,    there    was  no  black- 

\ 

smith  within  three  miles.  My  father 
was  obliged  to  go  all  that  distance  to 
get  his  horse  shod." 

Mr.  Hunt,  the  man  they  wished  to 
see,  had  left  his  shop  before  they 
reached  it,  and  was  sitting  in  an  open 
room  at  the  back  of  his  house  eating 
his  dinner.  His  red  flannel  shirt 

sleeves  were  rolled  up  to  the  elbow, 
\ 

showing  his  coarse,  sinewy  arms  ;  and 

his  hair  was  all  in  a  tangle  ;  but  the 
moment  Mr.  Curtis  saw  him,  he 
stepped  forward,  and  shook  hands  as 


90  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

cordially  as  if  they  had  been  ac- 
quainted for  years. 

"  I  suppose  you  want  your  horse 
shod,  Squire?"  the  man  asked,  look- 
ing well  pleased  at  the  cordial  greet- 
ing. "  I'll  leave  my  dinner  and  go 
right  to  the  shop  with  you." 

"  No,  indeed.  Sit  down ;  and  if 
your  wife  will  allow  me,  I'll  do  my 
business  here.  I  see  you  know  me." 

"  Yes,  sir,  I've  seen  you  at  church ; 
and  I'm  thankful  that  a  man  in  your 
station  has  a  heart  to  go  there." 

"And  I  listened   to  you  teaching 


THE    UNDERPINNING.  91 

your  Sabbath  School  class,"  added 
Mr.  Curtis,  laughing.  After  that  we 
couldn't  be  strangers  long.  You  re- 
member your  text,  '  If  ye  love  me 
keep  my  commandments.'  But  now 
to  business  !  I'm  going  to  build  a 
house  and  barn  ;  and  my  men  tell  me 
you're  the  one  to  mend  all  my  tools, 
shoe  my  horses,  a  kind  of  general 
Jack  at  all  trades.  I  want  to  engage 
you  to  do  all  my  business,  and  send 
me  your  bill  the  first  day  in  every 
month.  Is  that  satisfactory  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir ;  and  I  thank  you,  too. 


92  BERTIE  S    HOME. 

As  you're  a  church-going  man  I'll 
make  free  to  tell  you,  Squire,  you've 
taken  a  load  off  my  mind.  I've  got  a 
little  girl  sick  these  eighteen  months  ; 
and  I've  only  been  waiting  for  the 
means  to  send  her  to  a  great  doctor 
in  the  city.  Now  your  promise  makes 
my  way  clear." 

"  I'm  glad  you  told  me,  Mr.  Hunt. 
Mrs.  Curtis  will  call  and  see  your 
wife.  I  dare  say  between  them  they 
will  contrive  some  plan  to  restore  the 
child,  with  God's  blessing.  Come, 
Bertie,  we  will  go." 


THE    UNDERPINNING.  93 

Mr.  Hunt  and  his  wife  followed  to 
the  gate,  very  much  amused  at  the 
sight  of  the  donkey  and  his  carriage. 

'The  next  morning,  Mr.  Curtis 
asked  his  wife,  — 

"  How  would  you  like  to  ride  with 
me  to  the  granite  quarry  ?  I  am  going 
to  buy  underpinning  for  the  house." 

"  If  it  isn't  too  far,  I  should  enjoy 
it  exceedingly." 

"  The  drive  there  and  back  would 
be  twenty  miles ;  but  you  could  lie 
down  at  the  hotel  and  rest,  if  you 
choose,  while  I  am  at  the  quarry." 


94  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

"  I  will  get  ready  at  once  then. 
Shall  we  take  the  children  ? " 

"  Yes,  if  Bertie  can  leave  his  cares 
at  Woodlawn." 

The  gentleman  glanced  archly  at 
his  son  as  he  said  this,  and  Bertie 
answered,  laughing,  — 

';  I  think  I  can  trust  Tom  and  Jim 
till  I  get  back  ;  but  I  don't  under- 
stand what  underpinnings  are." 

"  You  will  learn  that  by  and  by. 
Now  run  and  ask  Nurse  to  dress 
Winnie,  for  I  see  Mike  has  the  car- 
riage out." 


THE     UNDERPINNING.  95 

When  they  reached » the  quarry, 
they  found  it  so  difficult  to  drive  the 
carriage  near  to  the  rough  building 
where  they  were  told  the  owner 
could  be  found,  that  papa  turned 
back  and  drove  through  one  street  to 
a  fine  hotel.  He  called  for  a  private 
parlor,  and  left  mamma  resting  on 
the  sofa  with  Winnie  to  keep  her 
company,  while  he  took  Herbert 
to  the  large  quarry,  tied  Duke,  and 
went  to  see  the  huge  blocks  of 
granite  that  were  being  cut  out. 
It  was  about  an  hour  before  they 


96  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

were  seated  in  the  carriage  again 
with  their  faces  toward  home. 

"  I  wish  you  could  have  gone  with 
me,  Cecilia,"  papa  began,  "  it  is 
worth  seeing.  I  found  some  blocks 
of  granite  exactly  the  size  I  want." 

"Are  they  already  hewn,  Law- 
rence ? " 

"No,  dear!  but  they  will  be 
ready  and  on  the  ground  before  we 
want  to  use  them." 

"  What  is  hewn  ? "  inquired  Ber- 
tie. 

*'  Don't  you  remember  the  rough 


THE    UNDERPINNING.  97 

pieces  I  selected,  and  those  others  so 
smooth  and  polished  next  them  1 " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"And  didn't  you  see  those  men  at 
work  on  a  long  shaft  or  pillar  ?  They 
are  called  stone-cutters,  and  they 
were  hewing  them.  They  have  a 
sharp  instrument  with  which  they 
continually  chop,  chop,  or  strike ; 
and  this  hews  off  the  rough  places, 
making  the  whole  smooth.  I  en- 
gaged my  posts,  too,  for  the  gates, 
Cecilia ;  and  a  curb-stone  to  lay 
on  the  top  of  the  wall  nearest  the 

7 


98  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

house.  That  makes  a  handsome 
finish." 

"  You  did  a  great  deal  of  business 
for  so  short  a  time,  Lawrence." 

He  laughed.  "  I  only  spent  about 
fourteen  hundred  dollars.  It  doesn't 
take  long  to  do  that.  I  fancy  the 
owner  thought  he  had  done  a  good 
morning's  work.  He  had  heard  of 
my  purchase,  and  was  coming  to  see 
me  to  engage  the  job.  Oh,  I  forgot 
to  tell  you  !  I  bought  the  steps,  too. 
Three  flights,  very  handsome  ones." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE    CELLAR. 

]NE  pleasant  morning  Bertie 
drove  his  father  over  to 
Woodlawn,  and,  after  tying 
Whitefoot  to  a  tree,  ran  as 
fast  as  he  could  go  to  the  cellar. 
The  day  before  it  had  been  quite 
damp  ;  and  mamma  didn't  think  it 
best  for  him  to  go  out.  So  he  stayed 
at  the  farm  and  amused  Winnie  by 

(99) 


100  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

playing  at  dolls'  visits  with  her  till  it 
was  time  for  her  daily  nap,  and  then 
went  to  see  Mrs.  Taylor  in  the  kitch- 
en. Esther  was  shelling  peas  for  din- 
ner ;  and  he  helped  her  till  they  were 
all  done. 

Now  he  was  very  anxious  to  see 
how  much  the  men  had  dug.  He 
had  but  a  little  time  to  stay,  for  at 
ten  he  was  to  be  at  the  farm  to  drive 
mamma  to  the  blacksmith's  house. 

He  thought  as  he  went  toward  the 
cellar  that  the  men  had  all  gone,  for 
he  could  see  nothing  of  them.  But 


THE    CELLAR.  101 

when  he  reached  the  place,  there  they 
were  down  so  deep  as  to  be  out  of 
sight  from  the  new  road. 

They  had  dug  a  path  all  around  the 
edge  of  the  cellar,  close  to  the  line 
his  papa  had  marked  out.  The  path 
was  four  feet  from  the  ground  which 
was  as  deep  as  it  was  to  go.  Now 
they  did  not  try  to  throw  out  their 
shovelsful  upon  the  bank,  they  threw 
them  on  the  great  pile  in  the  centre. 

Bertie  stood  still  and  watched  them 
for  some  time,  wondering  what  it 
could  mean.  He  did  not  suppose  this 


102  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

great  pile  was  to  remain  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  cellar  ;  and  yet  he  did  not 
see  how  it  could  be  taken  out. 

The  men  were  so  busy  he  didn't 
like  to  interrupt  them.  Besides  he 
didn't  feel  so  well  acquainted  with 
them  as  he  did  with  Tom  and  Jim. 
A  good  many  times  he  had  jumped 
on  the  drag,  and  the  oxen  had  drawn 
him  to  the  other  part  of  the  farm 
where  the  old  stone  wall  was  being 
pulled  down. 

At  last  one  of  the  Irishmen  looked 
up  to  the  bank  and  said  pleasantly, — 


THE    CELLAR.  103 

"  There's  the  little  master  come  to 
see  us." 

"  I  thought  you  were  lost,"  an- 
swered Bertie,  laughing.  "  Will  you 
please  to  tell  me  what  you  are  going 
to  do  with  all  that  ground  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  cellar "? " 

"  The  oxen  are  going  to  draw  it 
out.  You  will  see  them  presently." 

"  But  how  can  the  oxen  get  down 
there  ? "  asked  the  boy,  greatly  sur- 
prised. 

"  Run  round  to  the  bulkhead,  and 
you  will  see." 


104  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

Bertie  had  no  idea  what  a  bulk-* 
head  was,  or  where  it  could  be  found ; 
but  as  the  man  pointed  to  the  other 
side  of  the  cellar,  away  he  ran  to 
find  it. 

Now  the  mystery  was  explained. 
Just  under  the  place  where  his  father 
had  told  him  the  kitchen  was  to  be, 
there  was  a  kind  of  road  leading  down 
into  the  cellar,  and  while  Bertie  was 
waiting,  he  heard  Tom's  voice  calling 
to  Buck  to  "  gee,  back,  back,  sir." 

There  was  no  place  to  turn  around 
in  the  cellar  so  the  oxen  had  to  back 


THE    CELLAR.  105 

the  cart  with  its  wide  wheels  down 
the  steep  road.  As  soon  as  they 
were  in  the  right  place,  the  Irish- 
men came  and  helped  Tom  load  the 
cart  full,  which  was  very  quickly 
done ;  and  then  Buck  and  Bright 
pulled  away  with  all  their  strength 
till  they  were  out  on  the  level 
ground.  This  time  they  did  not  car- 
ry the  gravel  far,  and  so  were  ready 
to  back  down  again  in  a  very  few 
minutes. 

"  What  makes    this   dirt  look  so 
different  from  that?"  inquired  Ber- 


106  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

tie,  pointing  to  a  pile  of  rich  black 
loam. 

"  The  top  of  the  ground  is  always 
richer  earth,"  answered  Jim,  who  was 
just  going  by,  driving  Star  and  Spot. 
"  Underneath  it  is  only  gravel." 

"  What  is  gravel  good  for  I " 

"  It  will  do  very  well  to  put  on 
roads,  or  to  fill  up  with.  I  heard 
your  father  say  he  was  going  to  make 
avenues  and  terraces  with  this." 

"What  are  avenues?" 

"  Roads,  drive-ways." 

"  What  are  terraces?" 


THE    CELLAR.  107 

Jim  laughed  aloud. 

"  I  guess,"  he  said,  "  if  you  don't 
get  to  be  a  Squire  yourself  some  day 
'twont  be  for  want  of  asking  ques- 
tions." 

By  this  time  the  oxen  were  ready  to 
be  backed  down  the  cellar,  and  Ber- 
tie was  obliged  to  wait  until  another 
time  to  find  out  what  terraces  were. 

He  waited  till  Jim  came  up  and 
tipped  his  load  of  gravel  upon  the 
heap,  and  then  he  said,  — 

"  I  must  go  and  find  papa.  I'm 
afraid  it's  almost  ten  o'clock." 


108  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

"  I  can  tell  you  what  time  it  is," 
said  Jim,  looking  up  at  the  sun. 

"  How  can  you  tell  that  way  1 "  the 
boy  asked,  wondering. 

"  It's  half  past  nine,  ex-actly,"  re- 
marked Jim,  drawling  out  the  last 
word. 

Bertie  looked  up  at  the  sky,  but 
could  tell  nothing  about  the  time. 

"  It  takes  experience  to  do  it," 
said  the  man,  laughing  at  his  per- 
plexed look.  "  I've  had  thirty-eight 
years  to  learn." 

Bertie  resolved  to  ask  his  father  to 


THE    CELLAR.  109 

explain  how  the  sun  could  be  made 
to  tell  the  time,  and  then  not  seeing 
him  anywhere  about,  untied  White- 
foot,  who  had  pulled  away  to  the 
length  of  the  rein,  and  was  trying  to 
snatch  a  few  mouthfuls  of  grass,  and 
rode  away  to  the  farm. 


CHAPTER  X. 

BERTIE    AND    WINNIE. 

|NE  morning,  about  a  week  after 
the  ride  to  the  quarry,  Bertie 
took  his  sister  Winnie  in  his 
donkey  carriage  and  drove  her 
to  Woodlawn.  It  was  a  pretty  sight, 
and  many  of  the  villagers  stopped 
with  a  smile  to  gaze  after  them.  Her- 
bert with  his  clear  blue  eyes  so  like 
his  father's,  his  chestnut  hair  waving 

(110) 


BERTIE    AND    WINNIE.  'Ill 

off  his  forehead,  his  bright,  healthy 
complexion  and  pleasant  smile:  Win- 
nie with  her  close  auburn  curls,  her 
laughing  brown  eyes  and  cherry  lips, 
formed  a  picture  not  often  seen.  Each 
of  them  wore  a  straw  hat  to  shade 
their  eyes  from  the  sun,  and  the  voice 
of  Winnie  sounded  like  the  warbling 
of  a  bird,  as  she  gayly  echoed  her 
brother's  laugh. 

"  Mamma  say  I  may  dive  White- 
foot  drass,"  lisped  the  child,  not  yet  , 
having  learned  to  articulate  the  letter 
g.     "  Whitefoot  not  bite  me,  no." 


112  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

"  Whitefoot  is  a  good  donkey.  He 
never  bites,"  answered  Herbert,  decid- 
edly. "  Now,  Winnie,  you  must  keep 
hold  of  my  hand,  and  not  run  away 
as  you  do  at  the  farm.  I .  sha'n't  have 
time  to  chase  after  you  as  Nancy  does." 

"I'm  doin'  to  be  dood  dirl,  Bertie, 
mamma  say  so.  Winnie  not  doin'  to 
make  mamma  cry  any  more." 

"  Here  we  are  ;  and  there's  papa 
on  the  hill.  See  all  the  men  and  the 
oxen ! " 

Winnie  laughed,  and  clapped  her 
hands. 


BERTIE    AND    WINNIE. 


113 


They  drove  along  till  they  came  to 
the  tree  where  Bertie  sometimes  tied 
his  donkey,  and  then  he  carefully  lifted 
his  sister  to  the  ground. 

"  Wait  a  minute,"  he  said,  "  and 
I'll  lead  you  to  the  big  cellar." 

But  the  little  girl  couldn't  stand 
still.  She  was  as  full  of  life  as  a 
Squirrel ;  and,  when  once  upon  her 
feet,  ran  to  pull  some  grass  for  White- 
foot. 

The  donkey  did  not  think  much  of 
the  little  spears  she  brought  him,  and 
put  one  by  one  into  his  mouth.  He 


114  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

preferred  to  pull  a  whole  mouthful  at 
once  with  his  strong  teeth ;  but  he 
loved  the  children  who  were  so  kind 
to  him ;  and  so  he  stood  very  patient- 
ly taking  her  present  of  grass,  very 
careful  not  to  bite  the  tiny  fingers  in 
which  she  held  it  up  for  his  use. 

I  am  glad  to  say  that  Bertie  waited 
patiently  for  his  sister  to  feed  White- 
foot,  though  he  was  in  a  great  hurry 
to  see  what  Jim  and  Tom  were  doing 
at  the  cellar. 

Presently  she  grew  tired,  and  taking 
her  brother's'  hand,  went  with  him 


BERTIE    AND    WINNIE.  115 

across  the  smooth  grass  to  the  site  of 
the  new  house. 

Bertie  always  bowed  to  the  men 
and  spoke  very  kindly  to  them ;  now 
he  said, — 

"  I've  brought  my  sister  Winifred 
to  see  you  work  to-day." 

Tom  stopped  his  oxen  a  moment 
to  gaze  at  the  delicate  little  creature, 
and  then  said,  laughing,  — 

"  I  suppose  she's  too  small  to  ride 
on  the  drag.  I'm  going  after  a  load 
of  stone  ;  and  I  could  take  you  both 
as  well  as  not." 


116  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

.  Bertie  was  sorely  tempted.  He 
liked  very  much  to  go  with  Tom,  who 
since  the  time  the  child  asked  for  the 
corn,  had  been  quite  guarded  in  his 
words  ;  but  mamma  had  told  him  to 
be  very  careful  of  his  sister ;  and  if 
any  accident  should  happen  to  her, 
he  would  feel  so  sorry.  He  glanced 
wistfully  from  Tom  to  Winnie,  but 
then  said,  suddenly,  — 

"  Thank  you,  sir,  I'd  like  it,  ever 
so  much,  but  I'm  afraid  for  Winnie. 
She's  so  little,  and  mamma  trusted 
her  with  me." 


BERTIE   AND    WINNIE.  117 

"  That's  right,"  said  a  cheerful 
voice  close  behind  them. 

Mr.  Curtis  had  come  down  from  the 
hill,  and  was  near  enough  to  see  all 
that  had  passed.  When  Bertie's  face 
flushed  with  a  desire  to  go,  he  felt  in- 
clined to  step  forward  and  remon- 
strate ;  but  when  he  saw  that  his  son 
yielded  to  the  suggestions  of  con- 
science, his  heart  swelled  with  love 
and  gratitude  to  the  good  Spirit  who 
was  leading  Bertie  into  the  path  of 
peace. 

"  Oh,   papa  !      Winnie   had   dood 


118  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

ride,"  exclaimed  the  little  girl,  run- 
ning to  take  his  hand. 

"  And  what  do  you  think  about  the 
new  house,  pef?  "  asked  papa,  taking 
her  in  his  arms. 

"  Winnie  don't  want  to  do  down 
there,"  she  said,  pointing  her  tiny 
finger  to  the  deep  cellar. 

At  this  moment  there  was  a  great 
noise,  which  made  the  child  cling 
closely  to  her  father's  neck.  Jim  had 
backed  his  oxen  to  the  very  edge  of 
the  bank,  and  pitched  a  load  of  stones 
down  to  the  bottom  of  the  cellar. 


BERTIE    AND    WINNIE.  119 

As  Bertie  looked  over,  he  saw  that 
all  the  gravel  had  been  carried  out ; 
and  now  some  men  whom  he  had  not 
seen  before,  were  busy  laying  up  the 
stones  which  Tom  and  Jim  brought, 
in  a  nice,  smooth  wall. 

"  Have  the  diggers  gone  away, 
papa  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  They  have  done  their  work  here  ; 
and  now  they  are  digging  a  trench  for 
an  avenue." 

"  What  is  a  trench,  papa  1 " 

"  If  you  will  come  this  afternoon  I 
will  show  you.  You  may  ride  down 


120  BERTIE'S  HOME. 


by  the  lake  on  Tom's  drag ;  he  will 
be  at  work  there  by  that  time." 

"  Oh,  thank  you,  papa !  " 

He  looked  in  his  father's  eyes,  and 
what  do  you  think  he  saw  there?  It 
was  a  look  which  made  him  feel  very 
glad  he  had  tried  to  do  right,  and  it 
also  made  him  resolve  to  ask  God's 
help  to  be  a  good  boy  all  the  time. 

When  Tom  came  back  with  j^  load, 
he  pitched  the  stones  down  into  the 
cellar  a  little  way  beyond  the  place 
where  Jim  had  put  his. 

"  I  guess,  Squire,"    the  man  said, 


BERTIE    AND    WINNIE.  121 

I 

"  a  few  loads  more'll  be  all  the  mason 
can  use  to-day." 

"  I  should  think  so,  Jiin.  I'll  talk 
with  him  about  it,  and  let  you  know 
exactly  what  he  wants.  Are  there 
many  more  stones  in  the  old  wall"?" 

"  There's  enough  for  this  and  your 
barn  cellar,  and  all  the  stuff  you'll 
want  in  your  road,  or  I'll  lose  my 
guess,  Squire,"  the  man  answered, 
laughing.  "  It  does  hold  out  wonder- 
ful. I  s'pose  you'll  want  us  to  make 
clean  work  as  far  as  we  go." 

"  Yes,  everything   must   be    made 


122  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

t 

smooth ;  I'm  going  to  throw  those 
two  mowing  lots  into  one.  There's  a 
great  deal  of  time  lost  every  year  in 
mowing  up  close  to  the  walls,  and 
they  seldom  look  neat  even  then. 
The  fewer  boundaries  the  better,  was 
my  father's  motto." 

"  Did  you  ever  live  in  the  country, 
Squire  I " 

"  Yes,  I  was  born  and  brought  up 
on  a  farm." 

"  'Cause  it's  been  a  wonder  to  all 
the  Oxford  people,"  continued  Jim, 
"  where  you  picked  up  such  a  heap 


BERTIE   AND    WINNIE.  123 

of  farming  knowledge.  Folks  say 
you  could  keep  a  school  and  larn 
farmers  a  sight  more'n  they  know 
now." 

"  I'm  much  obliged  to  Oxford  for 
its  good  opinion,"  answered  Mr.  Cur- 
tis, with  a  merry  laugh. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE    KIND    BOY. 

]T  does  workmen  good  to  hear 
a  genuine,  hearty  laugh  from 
their  master.  Even  the  stone- 
masons, who  were  straining 
every  nerve  to  lift  a  large  stone  into 
its  place,  looked  up  with  a  smile,  as 
Mr.  Curtis'  "  ha !  ha !  ha !  "  echoed 
from  the  hill. 

(124) 


THE    KIND    BOY.  125 

The  gentleman  walked  along  the 
edge  of  the  bank  leading  Winnie, 
while  Bertie,  more  cautious,  kept  at  a 
respectful  distance  from  the  precipice. 
They  came  at  last  to  the  bulkhead 
where  the  road  had  been  made  to  the 
cellar,  and  the  gentleman,  after  a 
glance  at  Winnie's  thin  slippers  laced 
so  nicely  over  the  ankles,  lifted  the 
child  again  and  walked  down  where 
the  masons  were  at  work. 

<;  May  I  go  too,  papa  \  "  asked 
Bertie. 

"  Certainly.    Come,  and  I'll  ask  the 


126  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

workmen  to  show  you  how  to  make  a 
stone  wall." 

"  And  will  you  please  tell  me  what 
a  bulkhead  is  ? " 

"  Do  you  remember  the  door  where 
Mr.  Taylor  rolled  down  a  barrel  of 
ice  into  his  cellar  this  morning  f  ". 

"Yes,  sir.  I  didn't  know  there 
was  any  door  there.  Winnie  and  I 
used  to  sit  on  those  boards  and  eat 
our  lunch." 

"Well,  that  is  called  a  bulkhead. 
I  don't  know  why  that  name  should 
be  used,  for  the  real  meaning  of  the 


THE   KIND   BOY.  127 

word  is  a  partition  in  a  ship  which 
makes  separate  apartments.  Perhaps 
it  is  so  called,  because  articles  of  con- 
siderable bulk  are  put  down  through 
it,  and  stored  in  the  cellar.  When 
the  stonelayer  comes  to  that  part  of 
the  cellar,  you  will  see  how  he  builds 
up  a  place  each  side  of  that  road ; 
and  then  the  carpenter  will  make 
doors  to  fit  down  upon  it.  When  we 
want  to  put  coal  or  wood,  or  anything 
heavy  into  the  house,  instead  of  carry- 
ing them  through  the  carpeted  halls 
and  down  the  nice  stairs,  we  only 


128  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

have  to  open  the  trap-doors  and  carry 
them  down  the  steps,  or  put  on  a  plank 
board  and  roll  them  down,  as  farmer 
Taylor  does." 

Bertie  now  was  standing  near  the 
stone-masons  and  watched  closely 
every  movement.  One  man  was  pre- 
paring a  place  for  a  large  stone,  while 
the  other  was  chipping  off  the  front 
edge  with  a  sharp  instrument  called 
a  cold  chisel. 

When  he  thought  it  smooth  enough 
they  took  hold  together  and  tipped  it 
over  and  over ;  sometimes  using  their 


THE    KIND    BOY.  129 

hands,  or  iron  bars,  and  sometimes 
pieces  of  strong  wood  to  put  it  into 
place,  until  at  last  they  had  it  fitted 
into  the  wall. 

Bertie  noticed  that  they  chinked 
or  filled  in  all  the  little  holes  with 
the  small  stones  so  as  to  make  the 
wall  as  compact  as  possible.  His 
father  told  him  that  after  the  whole 
was  done,  they  would  fill  every 
hole  with  cement,  which,  after  a  few 
days,  would  become  so  very  hard  that 
not  even  the  tiniest  mouse  could 
creep  in.  This,  the  mason  informed 


130  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

'him,  was  called  "  pointing  the  cellar 
wall." 

While  Bertie  stood  down  in  the 
cellar  talking  with  his  father  and  the 
men,  he  happened  to  remember  his 
promise  to  mamma,  to  bring  Winnie 
home  in  time  for  her  morning  nap. 

"  O,  papa !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  Will 
you  please  look  at  your  watch,  and 
tell  me  what  time  it  is?  I'm  afraid 
it's  too  late  for  me  to  go  home." 

"  It's  a  quarter  past  ten,"  answered 
papa. 

"I'll  go   then,  as  quick  as  I  can, 


THE    KIND    BOY.  131 

and  come  back  this  afternoon ;  mam- 
ma is  going  to  read  me  a  story 
when  Winnie  is  asleep." 

Papa  carried  the  little  girl  and  put 
her  in  the  carriage.  Bertie  took  up 
the  reins  and  drove  off  with  a  good- 
by  bow,  which  the  gentleman  returned 
with  a  loving  smile. 

Just  as  he  reached  the  gate  he  over- 
took Tom,  who  had  a  boy  seated  on 
his  empty  drag. 

"  Is  that  your  Jerry,  that  you  told 
me  about  1 "  Bertie  asked,  stopping 
his  donkey. 


132  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

"  Yes,  it's  my  Jerry." 

"  Will  he  be  over  there  this  after- 
noon \  "  pointing  to  Woodlawn." 

"  I  think  it's  likely." 

"  I'm  going  to  be  there  then.  Papa 
is  going  to  show  me  what  a  trench  is ; 
and  if  your  boy  would  like  it,  I'll  give 
him  a  ride  in  my  donkey  carriage." 

Jerry's  face  fairly  shone  with  de- 
light His  father  had  told  him  about 
Whitefoot ;  and  he  hoped  he  should 
see  the  funny  looking  creature  ;  but 
to  take  a  ride  in  the  little  carriage, 
was  more  than  he  had  ever  dreamed  of. 


THE    KIND    BOY.  133 

"  Thank  you,  Master  Bertie.  I  ex- 
pect Jerry  would  be  tickled  enough; 
but  'tisn't  just  the  thing  for  you  to  be 
carrying  the  likes  of  him." 

"  You've  carried  me  on  your  drag," 
Herbert  answered,  laughing.  "  Mam- 
ma says  when  anybody  does  us  a  kind- 
ness, we  ought  to  try  and  return  it. 
I'll  be  there  right  after  dinner." 

When  they  drove  up  to  the  farm, 
mamma  was  looking  from  the  window, 
watching  for  them.  She  told  Bertie 
to  come  up  to  her  with  his  sister,  for 
Nancy  was  busy  on  the  back  porch 


134  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

washing  out  some  clothes  for  her  lit- 
tle charge. 

Winnie's  lunch  of  bread  and  milk 
was  all  ready  for  her  ;  but  she  was  so 
sleepy  she  could  scarcely  keep  awake 
to  eat  it ;  and  when  mamma  had  laid 
her  on  her  crib,  she  was  asleep  in  a 
minute. 

Bertie  ran  out  to  the  barn  to  put 
his  donkey  up,  and  then  listened  to 
mamma's  story  for  the  rest  of  the 
forenoon. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

THE    CROSS    WORKMAN. 

IT  was  Mr.  Curtis'  intention  to 
have  two  avenues  to  his  house. 
One  of  them  wound  around  by 
the  lake  past  the  spot  which 
he  had  marked  out  for  a  boat-house, 
and  then  through  the  chestnut  grove, 
where  it  met  the  other  avenue. 

The  other  or  main  avenue,  entered 
the   grounds  just   between   two   im- 

(135) 


136  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

mense  elm-trees  which  almost  seemed 
to  have  been  stationed  there  for 
guards,  so  exactly  did  they  suit  their 
position.  Underneath  the  branches 
which  met  and  embraced,  the  hand- 
some granite  posts  with  a  heavy  iron 
gate,  were  to  mark  the  main  entrance 
to  Woodlawn.  The  wall  which  was 
to  enclose  the  grounds  was  to  be  built 
of  gray  pudding-stone,  tightly  cement- 
ed, with  a  hewn  granite  curb-stone. 
The  road,  which  was  to  be  nicely 
trenched  and  gravelled,  wound 
through  a  variety  of  shade-trees  to 


THE    CROSS    WORKMAN.  137 

the  highest  point  of  land,  where  the 
view  of  the  house,  lawn  and  lake 
burst  upon  the  eye  of  the  visitor. 

When  Mr.  Curtis  was,  in  after 
years,  complimented  by  his  friends 
for  the  taste  and  artistic  skill  with 
which  he  had  laid  out  his  grounds, 
he  always  pointed  to  his  wife,  say- 

ing>  — 

"  There  is  the  artist.  I  only  fol- 
lowed her  suggestions." 

It  was  true  that  though  the  lady 
was  opposed  to  building  a  house  that 
would  be  grand  and  imposing,  she 


138  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

was  desirous  of  improving  to  the  ut- 
most the  natural  beauties  which  sur- 
rounded them.  She  drew  a,plan  for 
the  boat-house,  which  was  not  only 
useful,  but  extremely  picturesque. 
The  hennery  too,  and  the  conservatory, 
were  highly  ornamental,  distributed 
as  they  were  about  the  grounds  ;  — 
but  it  is  too  early  to  speak  of  these, 
which  were  not  finished  till  another 
year. 

I  must  go  back  and  tell  you  about 
Bertie's  visit  to  Woodlawn,  and  how 
he  learned  to  make  trenches. 


THE   CROSS    WORKMAN.  139 

Directly  after  family  prayers,  which 
Mr.  Curtis  always  attended  with  the 
farmer's  family,  Bertie  read  a  chapter 
in  his  small  Bible  with  his  mam- 
ma ;  and  she  explained  the  meaning 
to  him  in  such  simple  words  that 
even  little  Winnie  could  learn  some- 
thing of  God's  will.  Sometimes  they 
sung  a  hymn;  and  then  the  little 
fellow  started  off  with  his  donkey  for 
the  new  house. 

If  he  were  going  to  be  there  sev- 
eral hours,  he  used  to  take  the  har- 
ness from  Whitefoot  and  turn  him 


140  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

into  a  field  where  he  could  find 
plenty  of  sweet,  tender  grass.  But 
when  he  expected  to  return  in  an 
hour  or  two,  he  left  the  creature 
standing  under  the  shade  of  a  tree. 

When  he  drove  through  the  field 
on  this  pleasant  afternoon,  he  did  not 
forget  that  he  had  promised  Jerry  a 
ride.  He  jumped  out  of  the  carriage, 
and  looked  about ;  but  the  boy  was 
nowhere  to  be  seen.  He  tied  White- 
foot  to  the  tree  and  ran  to  the  cellar. 
The  stone-masons  were  at  their  work. 
One  side  of  the  wall  was  nearly  com- 


THE    CROSS    WORKMAN.  141 

pleted,  and  at  this  moment  they  were 
hammering  away  to  get  a  large  stone 
ready  to  fit  into  its  place. 

"  Do  you  know  where  my  papa 
is  ?  "  he  asked  one  of  the  masons. 

"  He's  gone  off  to  the  lake  with 
Tom  Grant." 

"  Is  Tom  coming  back  with  his 
oxen  1 " 

"  Yes,  I  heard  him  driving  them 
by  a  few  minutes  ago.  He'll  be  back 
presently." 

"  Thank  you,  sir.  May  I  go  there 
and  see  you  work  till  he  comes?" 


142  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

"  Yes,  I'm  willing.  The  Squire  is 
the  owner  here." 

Bertie  ran  around  by  the  bulkhead 
and  soon  was  standing  by  the  stone- 
layer  in  the  cellar.  He  didn't  speak 
until  they  had  finished  lifting  the 
heavy  stone  into  its  place.  He  stood 
and  watched  them,  wondering  whether 
he  should  ever  be  strong  enough  to 
lift  so  much. 

"  I  don't  think  I  should  like  to  be 
a  stone-mason,"  he  said,  in  a  sympa- 
thizing tone. 

"  Well,  you  may  have  to  come  to 


THE    CROSS    WORKMAN.  143 

it  for  all  that,"  the  man  answered, 
speaking  very  cross. 

"  Don't  snap  up  the  boy  so  ;  he 
meant  no  harm,"  urged  the  other. 
"  Here,  my  little  fellow,  will  you  take 
a  quid  of  tobacco  ?  "  at  the  same  time 
putting  a  piece  in  his  own  mouth. 

"  Thank  you,  sir,  but  I  never  eat 
any  tobacco.  Mamma  says  it  makes 
people  crave  drink  ;  and  then  they 
become  drunkards." 

The  cross  mason  uttered  a  shock- 
ing oath,  in  connection  with  the  name 
of  Mrs.  Curtis,  and  started  forward 


144  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

with  his  trowel  as  if  he  were  ahout 
to  strike  the  boy. 

Bertie  uttered  a  cry  as  though  he 
had  been  shot.  The  awful  words  were 
the  most  dreadful  he  had  ever  heard. 
He  tried  to  run  away,  but  he  stag- 
gered, and  looked  so  pale  the  man 
who  had  offered  him  the  tobacco, 
thought  he  would  fall. 

"  Don't  mind  him,"  Alick  said  to 
Bertie,  "  he's  been  to  his  bottle  too 
often,  and  didn't  know  what  he  was 
talking  of." 

About   fifteen   minutes   later,   Mr. 


THE   CROSS   WORKMAN.  145 

Curtis  found  his  son,  sitting  on  a 
stone  near  the  cellar,  crying  and  sob- 
bing as  if  his  heart  would  break. 

It  was  a  very  unusual  thing  for 
Bertie  to  cry  ;  and  of  course  his  papa 
was  greatly  pained  to  see  him  in  such 
distress.  He  tried  to  soothe  the  child 
and  find  out  what  had  troubled  him. 
But  Bertie  could  scarcely  speak  at  all 
for  his  sobs.  He  could  only  point  to 
the  cellar,  and  say,  in  broken  words 
—  "  Wicked — man —  I'm  —  afraid  — 
God  —  wont  —  let  —  him  —  live." 

Mr.    Curtis   left   him  and  walked 


146  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

toward  the  cellar,  where  he  saw  a 
sight  which  explained  his  son's  grief. 

One  of  the  masons  was  just  in  the 
act  of  stooping  down  for  a  black  bot- 
tle which  he  held  to  his  mouth,  when 
his  companion  saw  him. 

"  Hold  there,"  he  said,  throwing 
down  his  hammer.  "  You've  been  at 
it  too  often  already." 

The  drunkard  threw  the  empty 
bottle  right  in  the  other  mason's  face, 
uttering  the  most  terrible  oaths. 

"  You'd  better  be  careful ;  or  you'll 
lose  the  best  job  you  ever  had,"  urged 


THE    CROSS    WORKMAN.  147 

the  sober  man.  "  You  frightened  the 
Squire's  little  boy  till  I  thought  he 
would  faint.  If  he  tells  his  father 
how  you  cursed  his  mother,  you'll  be 
done  for.  So  you'd  better  quit  drink- 
ing till  this  job  is  over." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE    NEW    AVENUE. 

>HE  sound  of  Tom's  loud  talk 
to   his   oxen,  started   Bertie ; 
and   he   tried  to  stop    crying 
and   see   whether   Jerry   was 
walking  by  the  side  of  the  drag. 

Mr.  Curtis  motioned  to  the  man  to 
stop,  and  Tom  wondered  not  a  little 
to  see  how  stern  the  Squire's  face 
had  grown.  Bertie's  eyes,  too,  were 

(148) 


THE    NEW    AVENUE.  149 

red  and  swollen  with  crying.  What 
could  it  mean  ? 

"  Mr.  Grant,"  began  Mr.  Curtis, 
"  can  you  tell  me  whether  the  head 
mason  down  there  is  a  habitual 
drunkard  ? " 

"•  He  has  the  name  of  it,  Squire, 
I'm  sorry  to  say,"  answered  Tom, 
greatly  confused. 

"  Wait  a  moment,  I  may  need  you ; 
and  Mr.  Curtis  walked  quickly  down 
the  bulkhead  into  the  cellar. 

The  mason  who  had  been  drinking 
was  sitting  on  a  stone,  holding  his 


150  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

hand  to  his  head.  The  other  one 
kept  on  with  his  work  though  he 
oould  do  nothing  to  advantage  alone. 
Mr.  Curtis  picked  up  the  bottle, 
and,  holding  it  in  his  fingers,  said  to 
the  sober  man,  — 

"  Do  you  use  this  vile  stuff  I  " 
44  No,  sir  ;  not  a  drop.     I  see  too 
much  of  it  to  want  to  put  myself  in 
the  power  of  any  kind  of  liquor." 
"  Do  you  live  with  Jerrold  \  " 
"  Yes,  sir,  he's  a  second  cousin  to 
my  father.     He  could  be  a  rich  man, 
sir,  if  he'd  let  drink  alone." 


THE    NEW    AVENUE.  151 

"  He  has  done  his  last  day's  work 
for  me.  I  will  not  employ  a  man  who 
swears  or  makes  a  beast  of  himself 
with  liquor.  If  you  have  a  mind  to 
work  and  can  comply  with  my  con- 
ditions, you  may  get  an  assistant  and 
take  Jerrold's  place.  I  shall  know 
in  a  few  days  whether  you  are  capa- 
ble of  carrying  on  the  whole  job." 

'•  I  thank  you,  sir,  all  the  same ; 
but  it'll  be  a  terrible  disappointment 
to  Jerrold.  His  wife  is  a  good 
woman  ;  and  she'll  take  it  to  heart 
terribly.  He  was  overcome  with  liq- 


152  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

uor,  and  didn't  know  what  he  said  to 
the  boy." 

"•  My  son  has  told  me  nothing,"  ex- 
plained Mr.  Curtis.  "  I  saw  him 
throw  the  bottle  in  your  face  ;  and  I 
heard  what  you  said  to  him.  I  should 
wish  your  answer  at  once,  whether 
you  would  choose  to  go  on  with  the 
work." 

"  Yes,  sir,  I'll  take  it  and  do  the 
best  I  can,  and  much  obleeged  for 
the  chance." 

Tom,  all  this  time,  had  stood  on 
the  top  of  the  bank  where  he  could 


THE    NEW    AVENUE.  153 

hear  every  word.  His  face  looked 
very  sober  as  he  turned  back  to  his 
oxen,  and  he  said  to  himself,  — 

"  There's  a  lesson  for  you,  Tom 
Grant.  You  may  thank  your  old 
mother  that  you  haven't  tasted  a 
drop  of  spirits  for  a  year." 

"  Now,  Bertie  ;  jump  on  the  drag," 
said  Mr.  Curtis,  in  a  cheerful  tone. 
"  Jerry  is  waiting  by  the  lake  for 
you ;  and  I'll  show  you  what  a  trench 
is." 

Bertie  obeyed  ;  but  his  father  saw 
it  was  hard  for  him  to  keep  back  his 


154  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

tears.  The  gentleman  walked  along 
with  Tom,  talking  about  the  work  as 
if  nothing  unpleasant  had  occurred ; 
but  it  was  evident  that  the  man  was 
thinking  of  something  else. 

At  last,  just  as  they  had  reached 
the  lake,  he  turned  to  his  master  and 
said,  earnestly,  — 

"  Squire,  one  year  ago  I  was  as 
great  a  drunkard  as  Jerrold.  I  was 
going  right  straight  to  ruin,  when  my 
old  mother  came  to  live  with  me. 
She  begged  and  begged  me  to  take  a 
pledge  never  to  taste  spirits  again; 


THE    NEW    AVENUE.  155 

and  at  last  I  yielded  to  her,  and  since 
that  I've  aimed  enough  to  support 
my  family  and  buy  these  oxen. 

"  Now,  Squire,  I  didn't  think  of 
religion  till  I  see  how  it  worked  with 
you.  If  I  didn't  think  your  religion 
was  the  out-and-out  Bible  kind,  I'd 
never  ask  you  the  question  I'm  going 
to  now. 

"  If  mother  can  persuade  Jerrold 
to  take  the  pledge  as  I  did,  and  knock 
off  drinkin'  and  swearin',  will  you 
take  him  back  ?  " 

"With   all   my  heart,  Tom;    and 


156  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

any  help  I  or  my  wife  can  give  your 
mother  in  such  a  good  work,  we'll  do 
it  with  the  greatest  pleasure." 

"  Come  up,  Bright,  gee  ; "  began 
Tom,  wiping  his  eye  with  his  shirt 
sleeve,  when  he  suddenly  turned 
round  again,  and  said,  fervently, — 

"  There's  a  good  many  Oxford 
people,  Squire  Curtis,  are  praying 
that  your  wife's  life  and  yours  may 
be  spared  to  us,  to  be  a  blessing  to 
the  whole  town." 

Tom  drew  his  load  of  small  stones 
and  rubbish  close  to  the  edge  of  a 


THE    NEW    AVENUE.  157 

ditch  about  twenty-two  feet  wide  and 
two  feet  deep,  when  he  stopped  the 
oxen  and  threw  the  stones  in. 

The  Irishmen  who  had  dug  the 
cellar,  were  working  away ;  and  the 
two  men  with  the  oxen  had  as  much 
as  they  could  do  to  fill  the  trench  as 
fast  as  it  was  dug. 

Jerry  came  forward  looking  so  clean 
and  neat  Bertie  scarcely  knew  him. 

"  I've  brought  my  donkey,"  he 
said ;  "  but  if  you  don't  mind  I 
should  like  to  ask  papa  about  the 
trench  before  we  go  to  ride." 


158  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

Jerry  looked  quite  satisfied  but  did 
not  dare  to  speak.  So  his  father  an- 
swered for  him,  — 

"  He's  in  no  hurry,  I'm  sure,  Mas- 
ter Bertie.  But  he's  too  shamefaced 
to  talk  much  before  strangers.  If  he 
takes  you  to  see  his  tame  squirrels, 
or  the  mice  he's  taught  to  eat  out  of 
his  hand,  his  tongue  will  move  fast 
enough,  I  reckon." 

"  I  don't  see,  papa,"  said  Bertie, 
"  what  is  the  use  of  digging  out  the 
earth  and  filling  it  right  up  again." 

"  I  am  filling  it  with  stones,  my 


THE   NEW   AVENUE,  159 

dear,  so  that  the  water,  when  it  rains, 
will  drain  through  and  keep  the  walk 
dry." 

"  But,  papa,  horses  can't  walk  on 
those  rough  stones." 

"  Of  course  not.  I  intend  to  cover 
them  with  coarse  gravel,  and  then  on 
the  top  put  a  dressing  of  broken  oyster 
shells  mixed  with  small  stones  from 
the  beach.  These  will  gradually 
work  down  till  the  avenue  is  as  hard 
as  a  brick." 

"  I  understand  now,  papa,  what  a 
trench  is." 


160  BERTIE'S  HOME. 

"And  how  to  make  a  cellar?"  add- 
ed papa,  laughing. 

"  Yes,  sir ;  I  know  the  earth  has 
to  be  dug  out  and  carried  off,  and  a 
wall  made,  and  pointed  with  cement, 
which  grows  very  hard,  so  that  the 
underpinning  which  you  bought  can 
lie  on  the  top  of  it ;  but  I  don't  know 
how  the  wood  is  fastened  on." 

"  That  is  the  carpenter's  job,"  an- 
swered his  father;"  we  shall  come  to 
that  by  and  by." 

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